"Govt indulging in secret diplomacy with Kashmir separatists"

The RSS today accused the Government of indulging in "secret diplomacy" with Kashmir separatists and said the autonomy report ran contrary to the 1994 Parliament resolution, which states that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India.

"The move to go back to pre-1953 status (for Jammu and Kashmir) and demand for autonomy is an effort to take the country backward despite Parliament passing a resolution in 1994 that the state is an integral part of India. All political parties, despite differences, should voice their protest against any such move," Sangh Joint General Secretary Madan Das Devi said here.

He also slammed the Government for allegedly indulging in "secret diplomacy" with "separatists" and said the autonomy report was an indication that it has given in to the pressure of "people indulging in separatist politics".

Devi said successive regimes have failed to work on the principle of Dr Shyama Prasad Mookherjee who believed in "one government, one flag and one law" for the country.

Taking a dig at former Supreme Court judge S Saghir Ahmed, who was head of a working group constituted to review Centre-State relations, he wondered why and for what such "big, retired judges of the Supreme Court are tabling such reports."

He said while Jammu and Ladakh have a greater land area, there were more constituencies in the Kashmir Valley. "Therefore, they have a domination (over other areas), are more prosperous. Still they want autonomy."

Devi was speaking at a programme organised by Dr Shyama Prasad Mookherjee Research Foundation on the topic 'Are we losing Kashmir in the view of autonomy report'.

Participating in the discussion, former diplomat G Parthasarthy suggested that India should put on hold composite dialogue with Pakistan but keep its channels open to discuss the "one and only one issue that is the issue of terrorism."

"The fundamental problem is that when you start talking in a composite dialogue, you divert attention from the most serious problem, which is the issue of terrorism....the more you concede, the more they demand. Therefore, I believe these working groups, the setting up of commissions on the issue of autonomy should be put on hold," he said.